5 Best Floating Aquarium Plants to Bring Your Fish Tank to Life

While there are lots of things to learn about and keep your busy when it comes to keeping fish, the next most important aspect of fish you’ll want to learn about is the plants you’re using in your tank.

There’s such a diverse range of plant species out there, each with their own properties and benefits for planting in your aquarium randing from purely decorative purposes to oxygenating your water and even feeding your fish, choosing the right plants is essential when it comes to running the best tank you can.

However, with so many different plants out there, how can you know which ones are right for you? Luckily, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve searched far and wide to see what’s out there and ultimately narrowed down our favorites to just five of the best.

MarineLand Bamboo for Aquariums and Terrariums – 3-Foot

Starting off our list, we’ve chosen this pack of bamboo plants from MarineLand; one of the most trusted and most popular aquarium equipment and plant providers in the US. Of course, this floating plant is fake, but the design and manufacturing are incredibly realistic.

Since these bamboo plants are fake, they’re incredibly low-maintenance, and once you’ve put them in your tank, you’ll never have to do anything else with them; they’ll just be there to make your tank look amazing!

Naturally, these plants will float on the top of your tank, although you can easier anchor them to the bottom using rocks, stones or ties to create an underwater wonderland for your tank and for your fish to enjoy. Each plant included measures 3-foot long, which makes it ideal for any sized tank.

We love that each plant is designed to be long and flowing which provides your fish with a great amount of space to swim in and out of and explore to their heart’s content.

What also makes this plant great is the fact that it won’t cloud up your water like some synthetic plants and there are multiple shades of green in each plant that help to bring your tank to life; no matter what lighting you’re using!

PRO

A 3-foot synthetic plant suitable for any tank

Plenty of room for your fish to explore or hide

Can float or be anchored to your tank in any way

An affordable, low-maintenance plant solution

CONS

None!

6 Red Root Floaters Live Aquarium Plants (Phyllanthus Fluitans)

If you’re looking for a real-life plant that you can look after and watch grow alongside your fishes, one of the best verities of plant you can buy is a Phyllanthus Fluitan. These are simple to care for plants with each order providing you with six individual plants.

This gives you more than enough plant to play with, allowing you to organize your tank anyway you want, ensuring you’re able to create the work of art you’ve always wanted to create. Of course, these plants are also safe and friendly to all species of fish.

Each individual plant should arrive with around 5-10 leaves and will thrive when used in freshwater tanks. You won’t need any other chemicals or substrates to help them grow, simply just the water in your tank. However, you will need a special light designed for spangles if you want them to grow properly; but these are affordable when purchased online.

A quick insight into the specs, you’ll need to make sure your water temperature falls between 21-30°C and has a PH level of 5.0-8.0.

Of course, with all this in mind, these plants may not be ideal for beginners who want something they can put into their tank and leave; but if you’re willing to put the time in, these plants are perfect choices when it comes to bringing your tank to life.

In short, the quality of these floating plants is amazing, and the condition they arrive in is so clean and healthy, and there are next to no reports of them arriving in a damaged condition. What’s more, the flowers are beautiful!

PRO

High-quality floating plants that come in a clean and healthy condition

Heading back over to the fake variety of plants, it doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner who wants to focus more on looking after your fish or an expert tank owner who just wants something to bring a new spark of life into their tank easily; the Horony99 plant decorations make an ideal choice.

This particular ornament is an incredibly affordable solution and is available in a range of various sizes starting at the 40cm, all the way to 100cm. This means you’ll be able to choose the size that best suits your tank; ensuring a perfect fit while minimizing the risk of overcrowding your aquarium habitat.

Each plant has been designed with a dwarf water lettuce design and can float on its own in your tank, or you can anchor it to the floor or side to create a growing effect that your fish are guaranteed to love exploring.

Plastic is the material of choice here which has been chosen due to its friendly properties to the water of your tank, and its highly durable state, which means each plant will last as long as you need them to!

PRO

Perfect for all kinds of fish and any tank water

A long lifespan

Available in a variety of sizes

Can float or be anchored into any area of your tank

CONS

The design is not the most realistic

12 Water Spangles Live Aquarium Freshwater Plants (Salvinia Minima)

Going back over to real aquarium plants, this time to the Salvinia Minima species, more commonly known as ‘water spangles.’ These are small-leaved plants that float on the top of your tank and are ideal for creating shaded areas or can be used simply for aesthetic purposes.

As the title suggests, each pack comes with 12 individual plants, each with between 4-6 leaves, giving you a great range of coverage on your tank, regardless of how big or small it is. As with most aquarium plants, you’ll need a special light to help them grow, but you won’t require any substrates or chemicals.

What’s more, with this particular line, you’ll even have access to the Alive on Arrival guarantee. This means that if your plants arrive dead due to a packaging fault, you’ll be entitled to a refund or a replacement for free. This even extends to several days after you’ve received your plants, ensuring you have quality, healthy plants for your tank!

However, it seems there are no reports of this being the case, and all plants arrive looking in tip-top condition. All in all, these plants are super beautiful, and they guarantee to make a great addition to your tank. You and your fish are sure to fall in love with them instantly!

The final plant we’ve chosen to list on our best floating plants for your tank list is this exceptional fish breeding grass from Penn Plax. As this title suggests, this grass is specially designed to provide a safe and healthy location for your fish to breed in.

What’s more, when your fish babies are born, this grass then acts as an ideal home for them to hide in; ensuring they have the best start in life. If you’re not planning on breeding your fish, this doesn’t matter as the grass still makes a beautiful decorative addition to your tank.

How you present your grass in your tank is completely up to you. Naturally, this grass is going to float in your tank, but you can choose to anchor them to the bottom or the sides using gravel or ties. Since this is decorative fake grass, maintenance is incredibly easy, and you won’t have to do anything; they even come with a huge lifespan for this same reason!

To summarize, this is a super-easy plant to look after that really helps your tank to look its best. Whether you’re looking for a practical plant to help your fish breed, or simply looking to liven up the aesthetics of your tank, these grass plants are perfect!

PRO

A low-maintenance grass plant with a huge lifespan

Easy to wash and clean when you need to

Perfect for creating a hideout for breeding or baby fish

Can float on its own or can be anchored to your tank

CONS

None!

Summary

While it may be an overwhelming choice when it comes to trying to pick the best floating plants for your aquarium, this doesn’t have to be the case. Any of the five plants we’ve listed above; both real and fake, make the perfect choice when it comes to bringing a new life into your tank; so all you have to do is pick the ones that work best for you!